I left my heart in San Francisco...okay, at least my sanity...

Okay, kids, I am writing this in my hotel in San Francisco at 5:15 in the morning (8:15 at home)…not sure when I will get to post it as I decided to not pay the ridiculous hook-up fee here, but I did want to go ahead and jot down some thoughts so that they were fresh for you. After the mess of checking in at Louisville, I eventually did make it on my flight (read the post behind this for my first official trip post). I had the best seat! I knew at that point that I would be sitting quite possibly in the worst seats ever for the rest of the trip since I got the best one on the first flight out. It was in the first row, by the window. Although it meant that I couldn’t have my carry-on with me as there was not a seat in front of me to stow it under, it did mean I got to stretch out. Not that it did me a lot of good…that flight to Chicago is a short one! I had just enough time to get my cran-apple juice down before we started our descent into Chicago.

If you’ve never been to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, let me tell you…that place is huge! My plane pulled up to a gate at Terminal One. I had a 1.5 hour layover, so I had good time to make it over to Terminal Two. I put on my backback which weighs approximately the equivalent of a 3-year-old and took off. About halfway through this jaunt, I realized I had forgotten to put on my pedometer, and wow, was that a mistake…I must have walked a mile to make it to my next gate. I could have stopped on the moving sidewalks, but those things are a trip to walk on, and as they throw you off at the end, it’s kind of like a ride, so I kept on walking! I made it to the gate, sought refuge at Starbucks only to be told that they were only serving drip coffee (no Pumpkin Spice Latte for me), and then meandered to a seat near someone that looked like Kathy from the Ning site…it was Kathy!! Later we were met by Peter, Carissa, and Holly (also going to Sanyo-Onoda…more on her later!). It was fun getting to know each other, and feeling as part of a group for the first time.

On the plane, I had a window seat. I love the window, so this was perfect. It was a 4.5 hour flight, relatively uneventful but there was a lot of turbulence. Luckily I don’t tend to get sick easily, so I was fine. However, I was starving, so I broke down and bought airline food. Yes, I had said that paying for airline food was ridiculous, but when you are starving, you’ll eat just about anything! I got the SmartPack, so I suppose it was even healthier. For you foodies out there, here is what $6 bought me:

Bagel chips (unseasoned, but did have some sea salt…yum!)
Spreadable cheese with vegetables (scrumptious…love that cheese)
Granola (currently in backpack for a treat later today)
Phyllo dough cookie twist thingy (odd, but not horrible)
Pears (I hate pears, for the record…the menu said applesauce…I wasn’t pleased, but I ate it)
Cashew Roca candy (highly recommended)
Emergen-C Energy drink packet (which came with no water…frustrating)

I did catch a nap on the plane, but would wake up at times to see the most amazing things. I took some pictures as we flew over the Rockies. People, this was gorgeous. It was truly breathtaking. I will try to upload a few so you can see it yourself…my words would do it no justice. Flight landed with no drama, although approaching an airport over a body of water is never comforting. Getting luggage at San Fran took longer than my flight to Chicago (I am only moderately joking here). Finally, it showed, after a good deal of panic on my part. I met up with a bunch of other people (there were quite a bit of us at that point) to get on the shuttle bus, where I saw the funniest sign. I’m posting it as my picture of the day, because it was too good to pass up.



At the hotel, we checked in. This is the one time that we will have a roommate the entire trip. Mine was not here yet, and I had no idea who it would be. Turns out, it is Barb, the other teacher from Indiana. We were good roommates…we crashed immediately after we got back last night and were both up around 7:30 your time this morning (4:30 here). Not bad! Anyway, I went downstairs, and met quite a few other people…a lot had recognized me from this blog and from the Ning site, so that was cool! I got lunch (pretty routine…salad, sandwich, fruit) and then changed into my “professional” attire…we had orientation, which could have been done in casual clothes, but we were on a tight schedule, and very little time after the orientation to get ready for the evening’s activities. We were given our schedule, which is individualized for each group and has a VERY detailed itinerary. It also costs $25 to replace so it is now my new best friend!

After orientation we boarded busses that would take up to the Consul General’s house. The Consul General is right beneath the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. and represents the San Francisco area. His residence is gorgeous, and although I was disappointed that it was too dark to get pictures of such before it got dark, it was pretty cool to see Alacatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from his house. Very cool. He welcomed us and fed us a lovely little Japanese feast…sushi, kids! Actually, there quite a few things there that I ate that I wasn’t sure of, but hey, I’m a trouper. The only thing I really didn’t care for was the tofu, but after talking to others, the general agreement was that the tofu was rather bland. Whew! Because let me tell you, it takes a lot for me to eat tofu, but I’ve decided to try everything, so I ate it. Anyway, it was a rather elegant reception, lots of standing, but nice regardless. When we got back to the hotel, Barb and I agreed to crash immediately. The beds were ever so comfy. There were FIVE pillows on my bed! Nice, nice…


Me chilling with the Consul General

Anyway, I’m off…I feel like I am writing a book here! More to come, more to come…